Game



J. JOHNSON.

l GAME.

APPLICATION FILEDv MAY l, 1920.

1,399,864. Patented Dec. 13, 1921,

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

www?.

,ab LZ.. /NVE/vron 6 Mormon,

A TTURNEYS 1.. JOHNSON.

GAME.

n APPLICATION FILED MAY I, 1920- 1,399,864, Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

` 2 SHEE-TS-SHEIT 2. Q54

GMM/vl m UNITED srATss A JOSEPH JOHNSON, OF lf'llENIliO` PARK, CALIFORNIA.

GAME.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. 13, 1921.

Application led May 1, 1920. Serial No. 378,206.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JosnrH JOHNSON, va citizen of the United States, and a resident ofMenlo Park, in the county of San Mateo and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Games, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to games, and more particularly to game boards, my object being to combine the indoor game of billiards with the outdoor game of croquet or roque, in an outdoor game which will necessitate but minimum space and which may be utilized beneath awnings, tents or other covering either of a temporary or permanent nature. The primary object of my present invention is the provision of a game board which will render possible the playing of a game embodying the above characteristics, and one of the nature shown in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved game board,

Fig. 2 is a side view,

Fig. 3 is an end view,

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section through a portion of one side of the game board,

Fig. 6 is a detail side view of one of the valve covers removed,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section through the covering of the playing surface,

Fig. 8 is a side view of one of the mallets as utilized,

Fig. 9 is a side view of one of the balls,

Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view of one of the rail braces, and

Fig. 11 is a detail perspective view of one of the rail corner brackets.

Referring now to these figures my invention proposes a game board 15 'formed of the enlarged rectangular shape as shown and preferably upon a support consisting of cross bars 16 below the board, the upper portion of the board being covered, within the area inclosed by side and end rails 17 and 18, by means of an initial covering 19 of felt or like material which will give resilience to the movement of the playing balls 2O upon the playing surface, the felt layer 19 being in turn covered and protected by a sheet of canvas 21 securely fastened, with the felt layer 19, to the board 15.

the lower supporting cross strips 16, in a f level position in the ground, that area of the game board surrounding the rails 17 and 18 which define within them the play-v ing surface, being reserved for the limited use of the players.

The side and end rails 17 and 18 are placed in their upright relation with respect to the playing board 15 by series of spaced angle bars 22, secured by screws or like fastening members to the rails and to the board 15, and each of the rails has its inner surface longitudinally grooved between its` upper and lower edges, the central portions ofwhich grooves are concave as best seen at 23 in Fig. 5 and receive felt or other soft compressible strips "211, forming Vresilient seats for the adjacent portions of inflatable tubes 25. Each of these tubes has at a point intermediate its ends an outwardly projecting valve tube 26 which extends through a transverse opening 27 in the respective rail and terminates at its outer end in an outer recess 28 normally covered by a hinged cover 29.

The inner exposed portion of each of the inflatable tubes 25, which may be readily inflated through the structure above described, is covered by a casing 30, preferably formed of canvas and rubber, which encircles the tube to an extent of something more than halfA of its diameter and has side wings 31 extending into the upper and lower portions of the rail grooves and there Secured by means of casing supporting strips 32 fastened by screws or the like 33 into the grooves to points approximately flush with the inner surfaces of the rails, thus leaving the casing covered tubes projecting inwardly between the connecting strips 32 for receiving impact of the playing balls 20.

In playing the game it is preferable that four balls be utilized and play proceeded with along much similar lines to the indoor game of billiards, the balls being struck and propelled by mallets, one of which 1s seen at 34 in Fig. 8.

At their meeting corners the rails 17 and 18 are connected by corner brackets 35, one of which is shown in detail in Fig. 11, and

it is thus obvious that the game board as a` lwhole will be rigid, lasting and durable, presents a properly resilient long wearlng playing surface lending itself to effectively true rolling of the balls with the gaine board properly leveled, and has cushion rails which may be readily and easily maintained in properly resilient condition to give efficient rebound to the balls upon Contact therewith.

I claim:

1. A frame board having a resilient playing surface and upright rails surrounding the playing surface and provided with inner grooved faces, inflatable tubes disposed in the grooves along the central portions thereof, and easings covering the exposed port-ions of the said tubes and having side wings secured within theupper and lower portions of the grooves above and below the tubes2 said rails having transverse openings and outer recesses from which the openings extend into communicating relation with their grooves, and said inflatable tubes having inflating valves projecting outwardly through the openings and terminatingv et their outer ends in the said recesses.

2. A gaine board having rigid upright rails surrounding its playing surface and provided with grooves lengthwise' along` their inner faces, located between the upper and lower edges thereof and having concave portions extending along the centers thereof, inflatable tubes within the grooves, oompressible strips disposed in the said concave portions of the grooves and forming resilient seats for the adjacent portions or the said tubes outwardly beyond the concave seats, oasings inclosing thev portions of the said tubes, and means detachably connecting the said casings in the upper and lower portions of the grooves, including attaching strips seated in the upper and lower portions of the grooves and terminating flush with the inner faces of the rails.

JOSEPH JOHNSN. 

